Synonyms

pessimistic

American

[pes-uh-mis-tik] / ˌpɛs əˈmɪs tɪk /

adjective

pertaining to or characterized by pessimism or the tendency to expect only bad outcomes; gloomy; joyless; unhopeful.

His pessimistic outlook kept him from applying for jobs for which he was perfectly qualified.

Synonyms:

hopeless, despairing

Related Words

See cynical.

Other Word Forms

nonpessimistic adjective
nonpessimistically adverb
overpessimistic adjective
overpessimistically adverb
pessimistically adverb
unpessimistic adjective
unpessimistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of pessimistic

First recorded in 1865–70; pessimist + -ic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The first column focuses on the 10% of days last year in which the timers were most optimistic; the second column focuses on the decile of days in which the timers were most pessimistic.

From MarketWatch

Now, in response to Tesla this week delivering a pessimistic forecast for its fourth-quarter car sales, Burry posted on X that “Tesla is ridiculously overvalued.”

From MarketWatch

But even that is being tested by the gloom, with meteorologist Viktor Bergman "very pessimistic" about snow for a white Christmas and New Year to cheer everyone up.

From Barron's

One big reason: Americans continue to spend, despite their pessimistic outlook on the economy, their lingering anger about high prices and even a slowdown in the job market.

From The Wall Street Journal

If you spend much time online or consuming mass media, you might think that’s over—that Americans are deeply pessimistic about their country and feel powerless to change it.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023